


Relieve my heart

by MelTheSugarBug



Category: Persona 5
Genre: A New Start, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bakery, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Major Original Character(s), Mentions of Suicide, Non canon compliant, Older Woman/Younger Man, Overdose, Self Confidence Issues, Self-Esteem Issues, Teen Romance, The World arcana, Za warudo, good parenting, mentions of drugs abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-25
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2020-05-19 10:29:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 16,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19355182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MelTheSugarBug/pseuds/MelTheSugarBug
Summary: Mina made the ultimate decision when she committed suicide, only to get another chance when her soul ends up in Midori's Madoka's body. Follow her as her hearts slowly heals with the help of the Phantom Thieves of heart. And possibly, one of them might actually end up stealing her heart.





	1. The crypt of my heart

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this fic in my head ever since i bought the P5 game last summer and its now that ive finally had the guts so actually write it down and post it :D 
> 
>  
> 
> TW: Mentions of suicide, death and drug abuse. Viewers discretions is advised.
> 
> Memories will written in Italics

_Eyes stared blankly at a white ceiling, visions progressively_ _growing hazy. Blood was mixing with water, turning the tub a garish red. Small fingers holding a tiny razor blade…._

_Beep…beep…beep_

_Keep her steady! We can’t lose her!_

_The distant anguished cry of a mother crying out for her child._

_Beep……beep…..beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep_

_You’ve met an unfortunate fate, haven’t you?_

A young brown haired woman gasped loudly as she awoke suddenly. She blinked hazily, looking around her, taking in her surroundings. A thick fog permeated the air and made it hard to see, she could barely see 10 feet ahead of her. She slowly stood up, her legs feeling as wobbly as a new born foal. She dusted off the seat of her…dress? She wore a long dark shroud that swallowed her hands and her feet. The young woman sincerely didn’t know what to think of all this. Things were getting weirder and weirder. Was this all a dream or reality?

She began to walk cautiously, her naked feet making very little noise in what seemed to be grass, dry, yellow grass. Forms seemed to form into the fog, making her glance around her wearily, wringing her hands in front of her. A dark gnarly tree stood tall on her right and what seemed to be a tombstone to her left. She slowly moved to be able to read what was written on it.

**‘Hopes and dreams’**

The young woman blinked in confusion. Why…

 She went on her journey, slowly piecing the pieces of the puzzle together the further she ventured into the fog. More gnarly trees and more tombstones, each holding sayings like ‘future’ or ‘love life’

 

‘Hello?’ she called in the eerie silence, the lack of noise was starting to make her feel skittish. Plus, she was tired of walking aimlessly in this cemetery.

‘Ahh, there you are, playing hide and seek I see’ A eerie voice sounded from right behind her. The young woman let out a shout of surprise and promptly fell on her ass, her heart hammering against her ribcage.

A tall man, that probably stood at 6 feet plus, stood in front of her, was holding a lantern in his hand. He had long, silvery white hair that cascaded down and pooled at his broad shoulders. He wore a long, sky blue coat along with a white blouse and black pants. The bright blue seemed out of place in the bleak and grey background.

‘Who are you?’ The young woman asked, blushing in embarrassment at having made a fool of herself in front of a complete stranger.

‘I am Alucard, now, follow me please, we mustn’t keep my master waiting’ the man said in his gravely tone, looking down at her with his unnerving, bright, yellow eyes. He didn’t offer her any help in standing up and turned on his heels and started walking. The young woman sputtered and scrambled to stand up and follow the tall gangly man. She had a hard time following the taller man with her short legs. His strides were long and brisk, as if he was in a hurry. They walked in relative silence, the woman trailing behind ‘Alucard’ until he stopped abruptly, making her walk into his back. She spluttered and backed away from him as he finally turned to look at her. She looked up and saw that they had reached one of the entrances of a crypt. But not any crypt…this one had her name on it.

_‘Mina Turquoise’_

Her breath shuddered in her throat as she took a step back. Why? Why did it have her name on it? The brown haired woman blinked and held her head, trying to make sense of the situation. What happened? Why was she here?

‘All will be made clear… please do go in’ Alucard said soothingly, a hand motioned her to go inside as the other held up the lantern. She shook her head and gulped before slowly venturing inside the crypt and went down a flight of stairs. She could hear Alucard follow her in and then the sound of stone grinding against stone. The entrance was closed…

She felt a wave of panic seize her heart as she went to back pedal but a prodding hand kept her from doing so. She gulped and continued her journey down the stairs, the cold cement uncomfortable beneath her feet.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, she expected to see coffins, skulls and the like but what she saw was the complete opposite. The room was dark yes, but there was no coffins, no skulls. However there was a desk right in the middle of the room. It had one singular lit candelabrum on it. The glow of the candles lit up the features of a figure that was sitting behind the desk. It seemed to be an old man with a long, narrow nose that reminded her of Gru. He had white hair and wore a black suit. He was hunched over with his long fingers stapled in front of him.

‘Welcome to the Velvet room me lady’ the man spoke up, his tone deep and gravely, his voice bouncing off the walls eerily.

‘I am Igor, the master of this place, remember it well’ the man said, his long fingers coming to tap idly on his desk. She frowned and slowly moved forward until she was standing in front of the desk. Alucard moved past her and came to stand behind ‘Igor’.

‘Now to discuss the reason of your presence here’ Igor began, stapling his fingers once more. The woman frowned, she could barely remember anything…

‘You were chosen to be given another chance at life’ Igor said smoothly, his large beady eyes pining her in place as he met her eye. Then it suddenly hit her…the…

She squeezed her eyes shut at the painful memory, subconsciously clutching her wrist to her chest. That’s what happened; this was why she was here. Was this limbo, was this her punishment for taking the cowardly way out.

The man looked around but showed no expression on his face, his face remaining neutral; despise his mouth being stretched into a default wide grin.

‘For now, this place looks quite…distressing, for it reflects the state of your own heart’ The man explained, fingers going back to tap softly onto the desk. ‘ But depending on how you came to be here, it comes as no surprise’

The young woman bit her lip as she wrung her hand. So her heart was a crypt? A cemetery? Her heart was…dead? In a sense…

‘It may sound confusing for now, but everything will fall into place soon, I assure you, but we must begin with your introduction to this whole new world’ Igor soothed, almost as if he sensed her inner turmoil.

‘We have much to discuss but unfortunately our time is up. Take your time to slowly understand this place and your new place into this world. We will meet again in the near future’

An alarm suddenly off which made all of them look up at the ceiling. What the…

 

_Good luck on your new journey…_

Memories that surely weren’t hers started flashing before her eyes. The brown haired woman slammed her eyes shut as the rapid succession of images made her dizzy.

 

All she could suddenly hear were people whispering as she slowly made it back to the world of consciousness or in her case… the living.

‘Your daughter overdosed, she temporarily died on the operation table but suddenly she came back…it’s nothing short of a miracle, especially after the amount of drugs she ingested’ Mina heard what she thought was a doctor.

‘Thank god…thank you god’ she heard a woman whisper in relief before she heard a heart-wrenching sob. Mina felt her heart pinch at the sound.

‘When…when is she going to wake up’ A man’s voice asked softly, the voice audibly shaky as if he was holding in his own tears.

‘She is now stable, she should wake up shortly, however we should discuss the matter of sending her to rehab to make sure that an episode like this doesn’t happen again, like I said, your daughter being alive right now is nothing short of a miracle Mr. and Mrs. Madoka’ Mina heard the doctor say in a serious tone. The man and woman voices started to fade along with the doctors which indicated that they were walking away or perhaps Mina was losing consciousness.

 

 Her eyes snapped open as she gasped, a rapid beeping sound filling her ears. She blinked rapidly, her eyes blinded by an overhead neon light.

‘Oh thank goodness, my baby you are awake’ A lady’s voice said softly. The brown haired girl eyes fell on a very pretty lady’s face. Her beautiful green eyes wide and open, long lashes framing them. A few laugh lines on her face indicated her age along with a beauty mark right below her left eye. She also had long blond hair, which were kept in a side braid that draped over her shoulder. The woman’s eyes were alight with grief and relief, perfectly manicured hands held in a prayer at her chin, a tissue tucked between them.

Who was this woman? This wasn’t her mother… Then the girl thought back to what had happened. Of course this wasn’t her mother because technically she was dead… But managed to come back alive… through this woman’s child…

Her ‘mother’ rested a warm, sweet smelling hand onto her cheek and Mina felt the comfort it brought seep through her skin and without her good judgment, she leaned into it like the touch starved person she was.

‘ hey princess’ A man’s voice said on her other side and she turned her head weakly to be face with a very handsome man, probably her ‘father’. The man offered a shaky smile as she met his warm chocolate brown eyes. He had neatly combed dark brown hair with strong dark eyebrows. His eyes looked sharp even if they shared the same look that her ‘mother’ had. He himself held a few aging lines on his face that gave him a chiseled, older man look.

Her new parents were so beautiful, she thought as she took her time to look at them both.

‘Mom…dad?’ She found herself whispering hoarsely, her mouth and throat feeling dry and disgusting. The woman’s face shriveled up as she let out a sob and gathered her into arms. She let out a small noise of since her body felt sore as hell and the IV in her arm pinched. She felt another pair of arms wrapped themselves around both her and her mother. She felt a stubbly cheek press against hers, the feeling comforting instead of itchy. She could get used to this, she just came back to life and she was already getting all this love...

‘Please…never do this again… I beg you Midori…’ The woman sobbed, her hand clutching her nightgown.

‘We were so scared pumpkin…we thought… we thought we would never see you again’ The man whispered, his deep voice vibrating through his chest and into hers. This made her own eyes tear up… If only they knew…

 

-A few weeks later-

 

Mina had made a surprising recovery and was cleared to leave the hospital within the first week after she woke up. After that, it seemed like her ‘parents’ had made it their task to never leave her alone by herself ever. She could understand their fear however; she could see it in their eyes whenever they thought she wasn’t looking. Mina finally learned their names, which was mostly in the memory flashes she would occasionally get. Memory flashes from Midori. That was her name now… and her parents name were Hime and Kaoru.

Her mother was an important lawyer, in fact so important that she was apparently one of the best lawyers in Tokyo but she had stepped down from her job to open her own bakery, a long since south after dream. As for her father, he was a Private Agent with his own bureau.

That was probably why they moved two weeks after her release from the hospital. Both of their important reputations were at stake… A drug-addicted daughter who had an overdose would probably cause a scandal and tarnish their reputation. Mina had no qualms about that at all. She actually resented Midori for making her parents go through this awful experience… But then again she had yet to know them properly and she didn’t really know the full story behind all this so she didn’t want to be too quick in judging the poor girl. Sure she saw Midori’s life flash through her eyes before she woke up but there were still a few pieces missing that had her staring at the ceiling at night.

 

‘Midori, honey, you were spacing out again, would you mind setting this up for me?’ Hime’s sweet voice broke through her musing. Mina blinked slowly and looked her at her mom, who was holding a few pots of flowers in her arms. Mina offered a sheepish smile and took the pots out of the woman’s hands.

‘Could you put those on the tables outside?’ Her mother asked over her shoulder as she went back to the kitchen. Mina felt herself salivate at the sweet smell of cake and all the pastries Hime was making. She had been an aspiring baker in her own world herself but obviously her career had been cut short. Mina gulped at the wave of grief that nearly swallowed her whole. She clutched her flowers pots to her chest, slowly inhaling their refreshing scent to ground her in the present. Getting over her failed suicide attempted often hurt and made feel even more like a failure but at the same time… She got another chance and so far…things seemed to look up somehow.

She… would be able to make it.

She stepped outside, the heat bearing down on her heavily as soon as she stepped out of the cool, Ac generated air of the inside of the Café.

Mina quickly went to work to set down the flowers pots perfectly in center of the cloth covered tables of the Café’s terrace and adjusted some of the cute pink wickers chairs that matched the Cafes awning and bubbly pink sign.

‘Café Mon Coeur’ the sign said and if that didn’t scream her mother, she didn’t know what was. The Café was situated in a small neighborhood called Yongen-Jaya. The area was quiet and calm, people slowly going about their days.

She noticed someone walk up to the terrace as she busied herself into straightening up the table cloth. She went to greet them with a smile but found herself pausing as she stared the older man in the face. She suddenly got the feeling of a déjà vu hitting her. She blinked and shook her head and was about to approach the tall man when she heard the door of the café jingle open.

‘Sojiro! Her mother cried as she stepped out of the Café with a wide smile. She happily bounded up to the man and gave him a big hug. The man’s stern face broke up into a sincere smile.

‘Hime, you trying to steal my business by installing your Café in this neighborhood’ the man grouched but Hime seemed to take it with humor, giving the man a sunny smile.

‘Hey now, you have me beat in matters of coffee and curry and you know it’ her mother said, putting her hands on her hips as the man gave a smirk.

‘Damn right’ the man chuckled before turning his eyes on Mina. She found herself freezing in place and wrung her hands nervously. She felt like she knew this man but who was he?

‘Is that how you greet your uncle after so long Midori?’ The man asked, seeming a bit disappointed. Suddenly Mina saw it, the memory.

 

_‘She’s beautiful Hime, who knew such a beautiful child could come out of someone like you’ Mina heard the familiar voice of the man._

_The scene slowly unfolded before mina’s very eyes as she stood as a spectator to Midori’s memories._

_‘Tch, go to hell Sojiro’ She heard Hime growl, voice clearly exhausted._

_Mina saw the man, Sojiro, holding a tiny baby as Hime laid in a hospital bed, looking dishevelled and sweaty, and her hair all over the place. The man had a tender look as he gently wagged a finger the baby who grabbed it swiftly and giggled in victory. The man let out a rumbly laugh and Hime smiled tenderly._

_‘She already loves you…will you…would you like to be her god-father Sojiro?’_

_‘You got to be shiiii….’ Sojiro closed his lips as he got a warning look from Hime as he even entertained the thought of swearing in front of her child. He looked down at the cute baby in his arms, her big green eyes staring up at him. He found himself smiling tenderly and nodded._

_‘ Yeah, I guess I could be the brat’s god-father’_

Mina blinked again to clear away the memory and found her mother looking her worriedly and grasping her cheeks, looking her over fussily.

‘Are you ok honey? Maybe you spent too much time out; maybe I shouldn’t have made you arrange the flowers pots’ Hime seemed to be scolding herself. Mina gently grabbed a hold of the older woman’s delicate wrists and offered a reassuring smile.

‘ I’m fine mom’ She said softly and her mother sighed in relief before giving her forehead a soothing kiss before tucking her into her side and brought her over to her god-father. She was then urged forward into the man’s arm. A myriad of scent assaulted her nose as soon as she was enveloped into the man’s embrace. He smelled of tobacco, coffee and spices, all blending in an hearty, reassuring scent. The man pulled her away by her shoulders and looked her over.

‘It’s nice to see you again kid’ He said, giving her a small smile and a pat on the head.

‘Why don’t you go help yourself to some lemonade inside honey’ Her mother said softly as she fixed of mina’s hair away from her face and tucked them behind her ear. Mina smiled at the soft gesture, not missing how it filled up with so much adoration for the woman she barely knew. Mina wordlessly nodded and bounded back inside the café, taking one last peek at her mother and uncle before turning her back on them to seek out the pitcher of freshly made lemonade. Her mother’s famous peach lemonade, it was a high demand on the menu.

 

Mina found the pitcher on the counter, some water gathering at the base because of the perspiration that ran down the pitcher. The liquid inside was a beautiful gradient from yellow to pink, with a few slices of peaches and lemons floating along the ice cubes. Mina grabbed a tall glass from the bar behind the counter and poured herself a glass. She drank the first glass quickly, realizing now that she was super thirsty, especially after working around the café all day, getting the treats baked and moving the furniture about the shop. Her mother and herself had to do it all by themselves since her father was still going over the paperwork and the transfer of his business to a new location.

 She hummed at the tangy, sweet taste of the lemonade and watched her mother outside as she talked with Sojiro as she nursed her second glass.

They seemed to have a pleasant talk but Mina could clearly see the hints of sadness in her mother’s eyes from where was standing. Had the woman told Sojiro of what had happened? It was highly possible since the man was her god-father so he must have been kept in the loop about the whole situation. The two adults had taken a seat at one of the tables as they talked. Mina, not feeling like being rude, filled up two other glasses and stepped out with them to offer them to her mother and uncle. God knew how her mother needed a break and a fresh drink.

‘oh thank you honey’ Hime said gratefully as Mina took a seat at the table with them.

‘Thanks kid’ the older man said gruffly as he hesitantly took a sip of lemonade and hummed in appreciation after taking a taste.

‘So you took in another kid huh? How you pull that off’ Hime questioned, clearly amused.

‘The kid needed lodging, he’s under probation’ Sojiro said simply, as he twirled the lemonade around in his glass. Hime’s eyebrows shot up in shock.

‘Probation?!’ Hime nearly shouted and Sojiro shushed her as it seemed to pike the curiosity of some of the passerby’s.

‘Kid assaulted someone and got sued for it’ Sojiro shrugged and Mina saw Hime give him a knowing smirk.

‘I see you acting all tough and being a hard ass but I know you care, you sentimental old man’ Hime teased as she grinned and poked the older man’s cheek making him growl in irritation and slap her hand away.

‘ Shut it you old hag’ He mumbled in irritation which made her mother puff up, clearly insulted.

Mina found herself laughing. It came out as a giggle at first before it became full blown laughter. The interaction between the two friends was hilarious. It felt so good to laugh again, she could, she could feel like a part of herself was slowly coming back to her, slowly sliding back into place, in her heart.

She looked up and saw her mom smiling happily at her, relief in her eyes.

‘Honey…you laughed’ She said almost tearfully as she reached for Mina’s. Mina took it and squeezed it.

‘Yes mom, I did’


	2. Reminescence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mina learns a few more things about Midori

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry. It's been a wild ride ever since I've wrote the first chapter. I had school and work and the muse kept evading me. I haven't been feeling well since late November and I've just gotten better and the magic juice is back :D

Mina could feel her ponytail swing back and forth as she jogged. She had taken to jogging since it helped her clear her thought and put some muscles on Midori’s body; which was both out of shape and severely emaciated. Of course Mina steadily gained weight as the weeks went by but her new body sometimes refused to eat, despise her best efforts. She could also add insomnia to the problems that the aftermath of the overdose caused. She huffed as she stopped and sat down on a nearby bench. It was early morning and it was already this hot. Mina felt beads of sweat run down her back and chest. She reached for the small water bottle at her hip and took a much needed drink. She also took the chance to take a little peek at her phone while she caught her breath. She frowned deeply; there was this weird app again…A red icon with a black eye in it. It always came back even if she deleted it every time she saw it. She even approached her father about it, fearing that her phone might have been hacked in some way but each time…the app disappeared just as she went to show it to her father. Taking screenshots of it was no good either. That app was oddly sentient and it worried her. She made a ‘tch’ noise with her mouth and deleted it again before pocketing her phone, after briefly looking over her notifications. She stood back up, gave her body a quick stretch before restarting her jogging.

These quiet moments in the morning were Mina’s favorite. The quiet, almost ethereal atmosphere of the neighborhood was soothing. She could see as it slowly come alive as people mechanically heading towards the train station with their briefcases in hand. How the shops lights slowly turned on and the shop owners would open their awnings and flip their door signs. She smiled at a few of them in a friendly manner, wanting to seem as amicable as possible. Some of them replied with a grin while others only shot her a mere glance. She didn’t mind though.

She stopped for a brief walk just as she rounded the corner to Café Leblanc and saw a familiar figure in the distance. She bit her lip and faltered, slowly wringing her hands. She could approach her uncle and say hi or just continue on her way. She gulped, nodded to herself and jogged over the tall man slowly.

‘Hey uncle Sojiro’ Mina said softly and the man promptly startled with a curse. The man turned abruptly, releasing colorful swears that had Mina giggling.

‘Mmm Midori, what are you doing here this early in the morning’ her uncle inquired, stuffing one hand in his pocket while he used the other to flick ashes off the butt of his cigarette. She came to a stop in front of him and smiled.

‘I started jogging a few weeks back’ she explained, linking her hands behind her back, rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet. Sojiro gave her an apprehensive once over and gave a slight nod as if satisfied.

‘I’ve noticed you finally getting some meat back on your bones’ Sojiro said approvingly as he dropped his cigarette and stubbed it out with his shoe. Mina offered an amused chuckle as she trailed after Sojiro slowly and stopped once he reached the door to Café Leblanc and flipped the sign to open. Mina found herself freezing and blinked as she was once again assaulted with memories of Midori’s life.

_‘Sojiro! Midori is 7 years old, she shouldn’t drink coffee!’ Hime hissed at the older man, pouting fussily as she watched her daughter swing her legs back and forth while she sat on the bench, a cutesy, steaming mug of coffee right in front of her._

_‘There’s a lot of cream in there so you don’t have worry about it’ Sojiro waved a hand while he leaned against the counter and reached to ruffle young Midori’s hair. The little girl leaned into the touch with a big smile that lit up her chubby face. Hime huffed and crossed her arms, still clearly not pleased but decided to drop it._

_‘It’s really good Mommy, try it!’ Midori said enthusiastically, holding out the cup to her mother._

 

‘Hey kid, kid!’ Sojiro snapped her out of her reverie. Mina blinked blearily and stared into the man’s concerned, grey eyes.

‘Huh?’ Mina found herself saying as she gave her head a shake to clear up the fog. The older man gave a long suffering sigh and put his hands on his hips with a groan.

‘Your mother told me that you keep spacing out like this’ Sojiro said, fishing out the key of the shop from his pocket. He turned to unlock the door and gentle pushed it open. The man turned back to her expectantly.

‘Want to come in?’ The man suggested. Mina offered a weak smile and a nod of her head. Sojiro made his way across the shop with ease, with only the aid of the few sun rays that peeked through the door and casted shadows across the linoleum floor. Sojiro turned on the lights and slipped on an apron that hung on the wall. Mina watched as the man puttered around behind the counter, turning on the numerous appliances. The strong aroma of coffee beans slowly started to permeate the air as the machine whirred to life, making Mina hum pleasantly. She slowly made her way further into the shop and took a seat at the bar, the memory still fresh in her mind.

Mina watched Sojiro’s work quietly, feeling some sense of peace in the way he seemed to do everything smoothly, honed by years of practice no doubt. Mina went to speak but it seemed like her stomach decided to do it for her. Sojiro turned around with an amused smirk and Mina ducked her head between her shoulders in embarrassment.

‘I’ll make you some curry, how about that? I’ll make your favorite’ he promised while he offered her a fresh mug of coffee. The mug was the same one as in her memory. It was pink with little red hearts. The paint on the mug was faded after so many years.

‘Yeah I kept it, even after all these years, you drank your first coffee in this mug, remember?’ Sojiro said with a tender tone, a quiet type of smile on his lips. Mina smiled softly and tried not to be choked by her emotions.

She gratefully took it and took in the bitter scent of coffee and hummed in pleasure, the warmth seeping into her hands pleasantly. She smiled gently when she noticed he had set down small packets of sugar and small creamer on the counter for her. The older man offered a tender smile before turned his back to her and busied himself into cutting up some vegetables. Mina prepared her coffee to her liking and took a first sip and sighed at the exquisite taste. The taste of the coffee itself seemed to bring back even more memories. Mina bit her lip, tears suddenly flooding her eyes as a wave of nostalgia hit her hard, twisting her heart. She quickly wiped at her eyes as she heard steps come from the stairs on her left. Sojiro however didn’t seem to be bothered as he continued to prepare the curry. Mina glanced at the stairs landing curiously, the wave of nostalgia pushed into the back of her mind.

A black haired boy wearing what appeared to be a school uniform came down the stairs, steps smooth and somehow elegant. His steel grey eyes met hers as he approached, seeming mildly surprised by her presence at the bar. He was tall, probably standing near 5’’8-5’’9 and a lanky built and leg for days. His raven hair was tousled in a seemingly constant bed head and fell into his glasses covered grey eyes. Mina flushed and offered a smile in greeting. He returned the smile and Mina practically felt herself melt on the inside. Wow…

‘Mornin’ Akira’ Sojiro greeted gruffly as he set down a plate on the empty spot beside Mina. He gave Mina her plate and offered her a smile. She beamed and looked down at her food. It smelled and looked delicious but she felt a stab of apprehension. She…Mina…never ate curry in her life… It was no doubt very tasty but Mina had always been a little picky with her food in her past life… She nearly startled when she heard a meow coming from below. Mina looked down and saw a black and white cat looking up at her with gorgeous sky blue eyes.

‘Oh what a beautiful kitty, hello’ She cooed, trying to reach down from her high chair to touch the cat. Her fingers barely grazed its head before she heard a chuckle come from the raven haired boy. She flushed in embarrassment and puffed her cheeks in a pout. He was looking her with an amused smile and mirth was dancing in his eyes.

The cat meowed again and Sojiro gave a long-suffering sigh.

‘ I got your food right here you spoiled cat, c’mere’ Sojiro said gruffly with a hint of amusement, holding up a much smaller plate and the cat meowed in delight, trotting behind the counter with its tail high in the air.

‘You must be Midori, I’ve heard a lot about you’ the raven addressed her while Sojiro was feeding the cat.

‘Y-yeah and you must be…’ Mina tried to remember, her mom and Sojiro did talk about the ‘kid that lived in Café Leblanc’s attic’.

‘I’m Akira, Akira Kurusu’ the raven supplied helpfully with an amused smile.

‘Nice to finally meet you’ Mina said, giving him a genuine smile and a bow of her head.

‘The pleasures all mine’ Akira said smoothly with a charming smile.

Mina sputtered as she blushed and tried to refocus on her plate before it got cold. She gulped as she grasped her fork and reluctantly dug in. She took a deep breath and popped the fork into her mouth. Her taste buds were suddenly assaulted by the amazing flavors the curry contained. A hearty mix of spices enveloped everything together nicely. She had finished her meal before she could even blink. Mina heard the deep rumble of a chuckle come from Sojiro.

‘You were far hungrier then you thought huh?’ He said as he picked up her practically licked clean plate. Mina’s cheeks heated up for the umpteenth time as she mustered an embarrassed giggle.

Mina nursed her cup of coffee as Sojiro took away her plate. He set it down into the sink before fixing another plate and set it in front of the raven haired boy.

‘Eat up or you’ll be late for school’ the older man said sternly, but Midori could clearly hear the hidden softness in his words.

Akira nodded without seeming to mind Sojiro’s attitude.

Mina heard a faint meow and she looked down to see the cat looking up at her. She smiled and reached for it hesitantly, gouging if it would like being picked up. She grasped it under its armpits and lifted it up into her arms.

‘Hi you, such a gorgeous kitty you are’ She found herself gushing, scratching the cat behind its ear. It meowed in appreciation and purred in earnest. The purr reverberated from its chest to hers and she felt some of the tension she’s been feeling lately suddenly leave her, only leaving peace. The blond haired girl rubbed her cheek against the cats with a content sigh. An amused chuckle came from the boy beside her. Mina froze and ducked her head in embarrassment.

‘Sorry… that was weird’ she mumbled, looking down the cat, which seemed pretty happy where it was.

‘Don’t worry about it’ Akira said softly’ Morgana seems to like you a lot, he doesn’t let just anybody touch him like that’

Akira briefly glanced at the wall and stood up from his seat.

‘I’m heading to school’ Akira announced and the cat perked up and hopped into the teen’s bag when it was presented to him. Akira offered a wave and a smile and stepped out of the Café with a jingle of bell. Mina just stared after him in confusion.

‘He…took the cat with him’ she said in disbelief and Sojiro let out a huff of a laugh through his nose.

‘Don’t question it’ Sojiro said dismissively with a wave of his hand as he picked up Akira’s dishes and went to wash them.

After that they fell back into comfortable silence as Sojiro puttered behind the counter while Mina just sipped her coffee in contentment.

‘Is it as good as you remember?’ Sojiro asked as he dried the plate in his hand.

‘It’s great, I wish I could make it that good at the bakery, I’m awful at it, I can never do it right’ She said with a slight pout, rubbing her finger along the side of her mug.

‘Tch and to think she would teach her daughter how to make proper coffee, what a shame. Have I taught her nothing’ Sojiro said in disappointment, giving a slight shake of his head.

‘You know what? C’mere, I’ll teach ya how real coffee is done’ Sojiro motioned her over.

Mina stood from her seat and sheepishly shuffled behind the counter.

‘Grab an apron and watch as the master perform’ Sojiro gave her a confident smirk as he grabbed one of the numerous can of coffee that littered the wall behind the counter. Mina found herself giggling and slips on a spare apron that was hanging from a hook on the wall. She slipped it around her neck and tied it behind her back before smoothing it out with her hands. The apron seemed to have been already worn since a nice smell, aside from the smell of coffee, clung to it. She tightened her ponytail and stood straight in front of her uncle, giving him her undivided attention. He looked down at her with a fond smile and he gently patted her head. She felt herself leaning into the touch unconsciously.

‘Alright’ Sojiro cleared his throat, breaking their small tender moment.

‘First you got to’

 

Mina tried as best as she could to memorize what Sojiro was patiently showing her, but she often found herself spacing, an old trait that seemed to have transcended to her new body from her old one. She felt something swat at her head. She whined and held the spot with a pout.

‘Get ya head outta of the clouds’ Sojiro chastised, holding a rolled up magazine in his hand.

‘Good grief, you got the same air head as your mother’ Sojiro sighed as he rubbed the back of his neck. Mina ducked her head in embarrassment, a blush blazing onto her cheeks.

‘And yet’ He said leaning the counter while crossing his arms’ She isn’t one of Tokyo’s best lawyers for nothing. Quick as a whip and so freaking clever.’ Sojiro smiled fondly and Mina felt herself smile, loving to hear more of her mother.

‘Alright, back to business’ Sojiro said, then menacingly brandished the magazine at her face ‘this time pay attention’

They went back to making coffee and they decided to take a break. The both of them leaned against the counter, sipping their freshly brewed coffee.

‘Mmm, not too bad’ Sojiro said, smacking his lips as he set down the steaming mug. Mina beamed at the praise, clutching her own cup to her chest. Sojiro reached into his pocket and pulled out his packet of cigarettes. Mina watched as he slipped one between his lips idly and found herself craving one. Sojiro caught her stare and she looked away, it was probably bad for her to indulge in it.

‘Here, your mother would probably kill me for encouraging this but you seem like you need one pretty badly’ Sojiro said as he held a cigarette out to her. She gently plucked it from his fingers and slipped it between her lips. Sojiro lit his cigarette with his lighter and held out the flame to her. She dipped her head and lit the end of her cigarette. She took a deep puff and let it out with a content sigh, some tension leaving her body.

They stood there, smoking in silence until Sojiro broke the silence.

‘I’m glad you shaped up kid’ Sojiro said, grey plumes of smoke leaving his mouth as he talked.

‘When I learned that you overdosed in that little bastard’s apartment, I didn’t know if I wanted to cry or go hunt down that little fucker. Your father really wanted the latter but your mom talked us out of it’ He gave her a sad look and she felt her heart squeeze painfully in her chest.

‘I’m glad that you finally broke out of that stupid rebellious phase of yours and finally came home…I really missed you brat’ Sojiro said, stubbing out his cigarette. Mina’s own lay forgotten between her fingers, the ashes getting long and prompted Mina to stub it out.

Just how many people did Midori hurt with her careless rebellion?

Mina nearly startled when the doorbell rang and a girl with long red hair entered the Café.

‘Ran out of food in the house?’ Sojiro jibbed playfully at the girl, who flustered and pouted.

‘Yeah, we need to go grocery shopping soon’ the girl answered then her focus shifted to Mina who stood there, wide eyed.

‘Futaba, this is my god daughter Midori, Midori this was Futaba’ Sojiro loosely introduced. ‘I don’t think you two have met before have you?’

Mina wracked her brain for memories but she came up with a blank. She shook her head and offered a bow at the younger girl.

‘It’s nice to meet you Futaba’ she greeted cheerily, trying to not let the talk from earlier weight her down.

‘Nice…to meet you’ Futaba said hesitantly, suddenly seeming shy and uneasy. Social anxiety perhaps? Mina knew that feeling all too well. She opened her mouth to talk when her phone pinged. She reached into her pocket and looked at her messages.

(Mommy dearest): Need you at the shop ASAP! Love you

‘I’ve got to go, my mom needs me’ Mina said, pocketing her phone again.

‘Alright, I’ve got business to attend to anyway, come by any time kiddo’ Sojiro gave her a small smile.

_I am thou, thou art I…_

_Though hast acquired a new vow_

_It shall become a beacon that will guide you back to the light_

_With the birth of the Hierophant persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

_Hierophant Arcana Rank 1_

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry if this all seem silly or something. I've... never really played the Persona 5 game cuz i suck at those type of game so i might lean more heavily on the animated series for references but i do try to look at walk through and what not to help myself.


	3. Awakening

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! finally was able to publish another chapter for this bb enjoy!

Mixers were whirring, ovens were turned on, and there was flour all over the work station and on the floor as well.

Hime didn’t know what happened to her daughter but she was pretty certain that Midori had never been good at baking; actually Hime thought she was terrible at it. So it came as a surprise when she watched her daughter dash through the kitchen like a hummingbird, making cakes, cupcakes and sweets for the stores showcase with the expertise of an actual baker. Hime glanced at the pink cat shaped clock on the wall.

6:00 am

This was way earlier then the time Hime normally came down to start her day. Then again, she knew Midori did have trouble sleeping lately.

_‘It’s better that she uses this as an outlet rather than those nasty drugs’_

Hime thought with concern. Her daughter finally noticed her as she zoomed past her with a hot pan of cupcakes. She stopped in her track and offered a sheepish smile.

‘Oh, morning mom’ Midori said, rubbing her cheek against her shoulder to push a hair out of her face. Hime noticed a speck of flour on her daughter’s cheek and without thinking she reached out to wipe it away with her thumb. She held back tears as her daughter leaned against her touch briefly, offering a small smile. Finally, her daughter was accepting her affections again; Hime didn’t think she would see the day, where her own flesh blood wouldn’t recoil from her touch as if she was burned.

‘You up quite early darling, everything ok?’ Hime asked, taking the opportunity to tuck some of Midori’s wheat blond hair behind her ear.

‘Oh yeah, I just couldn’t go back to sleep, so I decided to help out, I hope I didn’t disturbed you or dad’ Midori frowned in concern as she gently set down the cupcakes down onto a cooling rack.

‘oh sweetheart no, your father got a notification from the cameras, but you know how hard he sleeps so he didn’t hear it but I knew it would be you down here when I looked into your room and you were gone’ Her mother reassured, even if it did sound a bit accusatory. Midori winced and bit her lip, ducking her head between her shoulders.

Hime took a chance and gathered her daughter into her arms, pressing her nose into her hair.

‘Don’t worry honey, it’s all good, I’ll gladly take the help that you are offering’ Hime said tenderly ‘Now, let’s clean up at bit and get our day started!’

 

‘Ok here you go Midori; you can bring these samples to Petits Pieds ballet studio. It’s their 10th anniversary and they want to commission a cake from us’ Hime said excitedly as she handed a box of several samples of cakes to Midori. ‘You can look up the address on your phone, off you go’ Hime urged, kissing Midori’s cheek before she nearly pushed her out the door.

Midori let out a chuckle and shook her head, fishing her phone out of her pockets while balancing the cake box in her other hand. Midori shook her head as she saw the bothersome eye icon. She deleted it and pulled up her internet tab and looked up the ballet studio.

She whistled at the pictures that were shown on their internet page. It sure looked like a fancy place. Must be why her mom asked her to dress prettily to go deliver the samples. She handed her an outfit and told her to change and even helped her do her hair and make-up. Her mother had tastefully chosen a nice black off the shoulder top with a white skirt and comfortable black wedges. Midori turned back to look inside the Café and saw her mom waved at her enthusiastically. Midori smiled and waved at her mom and took off.

 

_I am thou, thou art I…_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall become one the beacons that will guide you out of the darkness. With the birth of the Temperance persona, I have obtained the winds of blessings that shall lead to freedom and new power._

 

 

Fortunately for Mina, the studio wasn’t that far and she didn’t have to make use to public transport to get to it. She looked down at the address to make sure she was at the right place.

‘Petits Pieds Studio’ she said aloud to her before moving up the steps to get to the entrance. She had to hurry or the cakes would get pretty hot and would be ruin if she spent too much time out idle in this heat. She balanced the box in one hand while she opened the door with the other one. She kept it open with her foot so she could slip inside. She gasped and raised the box above her head as some rowdy children almost bumped into her on their way out.

Mina looked around curiously, taking in the lobby and spied what seemed to be a glass case. She walked closer and saw a tiara resting on a red velvet pillow. She tilted her head and saw a plaque.

‘ _In memory of Adeline Devereaux 2008-2019’_

Mina pouted softly before bowing her head slightly to pay her respects. She looked up at the painting that was on the wall behind the glass case. It was a family portrait; it had one older woman, a man and a little girl, all smiling happily in the painting. The woman in the picture was seated on an ornate chair, her features kind and regal. The man stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder while the little girl was kneeling on the ground, her head against the woman knee, and a broad smile on her chubby face.

‘Excuse me miss?’ A voice snapped Mina out of her observation. She turned to face a woman that sat behind a high desk near the entrance, only the top of her head and eyes visible. Mina was surprised she hadn’t noticed her. Then again, mina as always in her head these days, another trait that passed along from her old life.

‘So sorry’ she said, ducking her head sheepishly, walking over where she assumed was the receptionist desk. ‘I’m Midori; I came to deliver the samples from ‘Café Mon Coeur’.

She brandished the box out for the lady to see and offered a smile.

‘ Oh fantastic, Mr. Devereaux is currently teaching a class right now, would you mind waiting for a little bit, he should be with you shortly’ The receptionist assured with a smile. ‘Give those here, I’ll put them somewhere cool in the meantime’ the woman said and held out her hands. Mina gave her the box and the woman put them away in a small fridge that as behind the counter.

‘In the meantime, would you like anything to drink? It has been awfully hot outside these days’ the woman, Anzu, as her nametag supplied, said conversationally.

‘Oh, um, water would be great actually’ Mina said softly, leaning up against the counter to peek behind it. Anzu reached in the small fridge and supplied her with a cool water bottle. Mina thanked her with a smile, before opening the bottle to take a hearty sip, realizing how parched she was.

‘You can wait in the little waiting area just there’ Anzu motioned to a plush red couch. Mina nodded and want to take a seat on the couch, marvelling in it comfort as she reached into her purse for her phone. She let out an irritated ‘tch’ as she saw the red eye app again. Hen would that app leave her alone, it really as getting bothersome.

She occupied her time by checking her e-mails and playing some the rare games she had on her phone. She finally looked up when a group of young pre-teens passed by giggling and talking among themselves. Two of them stopped and approached Midori.

‘Oh hello Midori’ One of them said sweetly. Midori startled a bit and looked up, recognizing two of her mother’s most loyal customers. Mitsuki Emiko and Kumiko Hotaru. They were two middle school students that came to the Café on a regular basis. Mitsuki had short light brown hair that went a little below her chin and were tied in two low pigtails with vibrant green eyes. Kumiko on the other hand, has long straight black hair with defiant green eyes. Both of them wore an absolutely adorable pink school uniform.

‘Oh hey girls, I didn’t know you did ballet’ Midori smiled pleasantly while putting her cell away.

‘Come ooon Midori, you totally saw us rehearse in the café right?’ Kumiko let out an annoyed huff at Midori’s blank look.

‘Kumiiii, don’t be rude’ Mitsuki chastised her friend lightly as she pushed her playfully and turned back to Midori’ yeah we do, we are in the advanced classes’ the girl puffed her chest proudly with a smile. Both girls took a seat on either side of Midori and got comfy.

‘So why are you here?’ Kumiko asked absentmindedly as she took a peek at her phone.

‘Is it to join the adults classes?! Omgitwouldbesocool!’ Mitsuki bounced excitedly in her seat, looking at Midori with wide emerald eyes full of expectations.

‘ha-ha noooo, I’m _wayyy_ too clumsy for ballet, believe me it’s safer that I don’t’ Midori firmly shook her head, feeling a pang of guilt when the bubbly pre-teen beside her seemed to deflate like a balloon. ‘No I came to deliver samples for the 10th anniversary of the studios, the owner chose our place for catering for the sweets table.’

‘Oh right the 10 anniversary; Mr. Devereaux seems pretty stressed about it…’ Mitsuki seemed to deflate in her seat even further, her shoulders hunching up as she crossed her arms, looking to the side. Midori narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the display.

‘Stressed? He’s been acting like a bastard for the past month Suki’ Kumiko hissed heatedly, making sure to lower her voice so the other straying students or god forbids, the teacher, would hear her. ‘He’s been real hard on us recently, don’t you dare deny it…’

‘But, I bet he has his reasons….’ Mitsuki said in a small voice, her lips pouting. Kumiko let out another scoff before standing.

‘Let’s go, my dad’s here’ Kumiko said, a touch softer, reaching a hand out for the meek brunette. Mitsuki beamed and took her hand before standing and straightened her skirt.

‘We’ll see you at the Café Mimi, see ya!’ Mitsuki said sunnily before being dragged along by the brash girl, who offered a wave over her shoulder at Midori.

Midori waved at them weakly, frowning when the girls were gone, what Kumiko and Mitsuki said not quite sitting right with her. Unknown to her, Midori’s phone flashed as the red eye app opened.

_Petits Pieds Studio…_

_Hit_

 

‘Anzu, did the samples from Café mon Coeur have been delivered yet?’ A man with a thick French accent asked the receptionist. He was quite tall, well over 6 feet tall. He had short, stylish black hair framing crystal blue eyes, a sharp angular nose with full lush lips. He wore a simple black shirt with form fitting leggings.

‘They are right here’ Anzu gave the man the box, her joyful demeanor from earlier gone. Mina frowned at her change of character. She took this as her cue to approach the man.

‘It’s a pleasure to meet you Mr. Devereaux, I’m Café Mon Coeur owner’s daughter, Midori’ Midori went to stick out her hand by force of habit. She quickly took it back and bowed to him instead. The man raised an angular eyebrow at her.

‘Pleasure, I’m Sebastien Devereaux, welcome to the Petits Pieds studio.’ The man said with flourish, extending a hand to show off the entire space of the lobby. ‘I’ll give you a short tour of the studio before we can move to my office to try out these wonderful cakes, follow me if you will Mademoiselle’

Unknown to her, Midori’s phone flashed as the red eye app opened.

_Petits Pieds Studio…_

_Hit_

 

                                                                                                                                                  _Sebastien Devereaux…_

_Hit_

Midori tried to keep up with the man’s long legs as he climbed up at flight of stairs.

‘My dear mother founded this school when I was a child. Ballet always had been her passion back when we used to live in France. Just her and I. She had her own little ballet studio back there’ the black haired man gave a soft, sad smile. Midori didn’t question why he didn’t mention his father, just in case it would seem rude.

‘Then she met a Japanese man, my current step father, when he went on a business trip to France and they hit it off. Then we left everything behind to come here. Seeing my mother sad from the loss of her studios, my step father bought this building and the rest is history’

Midori held back the question that sat on her tongue. Where was the little Adeline, the little girl from the painting, what had happened to her. The man gave a brief sniff before plastering on a plastic smile.

 

‘Here we have our numerous studios, each have their own class and level of difficulty.’ He opened one of the doors, soft piano music resonating through the big room. A group of children dressed in canary yellow were following the teacher’s example. The teacher briefly glanced at them and offered a tight smile before going back to her teaching.

The man continued to show her more studios, some empty and others with students in them.

‘Finally, la pièce de résistance, my mother’s pride.’ Mr. Devereaux opened a set of double doors with flourish ‘The stage!’

The room was large and reminded Midori of an Opera house rather than a cheap, let’s say, high school amphitheater stage. Everything decorated in rich reds and gold with a beautiful, humongous, crystal chandelier on the ceiling.

‘Every recital is performed here without fault’ the man assured’ we are known to welcome a lot of people when we have recitals, most of our students being the best of all Tokyo’ Mr. Devereaux said proudly’ We have quite the high standards here, not everyone has the chance to have a spot among our ranks’

Midori frowned at how haughty he looked at the moment, boasting and puffing his chest like a prideful peacock. Being this demanding must cause a lot of strain and pressure on some of the students…

Midori snapped out of her mind when Sebastien clapped his hands.

‘Now about these cakes, venez avec moi Mademoiselle, we’ll go to my office’ The man briskly walked to a dark obsidian door before opened it and letting her go inside first with a small ‘after you Mademoiselle’ before following close behind.

Sure enough, the box of samples rested on a desk with a fork and a hot pot of tea or perhaps coffee?

‘You may sit’ the man said, sitting behind his desk, motioning to a chair in front of it. Midori gave a small smile before taking a seat on the plush black leather chair.

‘Coffee?’ The raven asked, pouring himself a cup. Midori nodded and murmured a small thank you. The man poured her a cup and pushed it in her direction with his long fingers. He slid a crystal contained that held the sugar along with a small creamer. Midori made the coffee to her liking and observed as the man finally opened the box. He took a whiff of the cakes and let out a pleased sigh, the tension he seemed to hold in his shoulder ever since she introduced herself seemed to melt.

‘There’s classic Vanilla, chocolate, red velvet and a special Forêt Noire’ Midori named off, indicating each with her finger.

‘Ah Forêt noire, it used to be my little sister's favorite’ the man reminisced with a sad nostalgic smile. Midori only caught it for a second before it turned back to the cold, plastic smile he had been wearing all the time he did the tour. Midori waited patiently as he tried all of them, happy that he only had good comments to make about her mother’s cake. He let out a relieved sigh when he was done.

‘Tough choice _but_ , I think I’ll with the Forêt Noire, it was quite exceptional, I believe your mother received the type of cake I wanted by email? Mr. Devereaux questioned as he closed the box and stapled his fingers together.

‘Yes she has received it and ready to work on it’ Midori nodded and finally stood up after polishing off the rest of her coffee, holding back a grimace at the strong taste. It wasn’t like Uncle Sojiro’s coffee at all. That man had ruined any other coffee places for her with his unique way of making coffee.

‘Parfait, then off you go, I have quite the agenda lately and I don’t have a spare second to myself these days’ The man temporarily let his stress show, the tension in his shoulders coming back, his eyebrows creasing into a preoccupied frown. Midori bowed to the man and thanked him again before stepped out of the office, closing the door as she went. She offered a smile at the receptionist as she stepped out into the lobby and finally out the door. She gave a small sigh before moving down the steps again, reading to head home. She shot her mom a quick text with Mr. Devereaux answer and asked if she needed anything while she was out. As she made her way down the stairs she noticed a pond that she hadn’t noticed before. In the center was a statue with what seemed to be woman, Sebastien’s mother with his little sister. She approached it to examine the plaque that rested underneath.

_The women of my life_

_Adeline Devereaux 2008-2019_

_Rose Devereaux 1969-2019_

 

Midori frowned softly, both his mother and sister died in the same year? That must have been real rough for him.

‘Women of my life’ Midori said softly, before bowing her head in respect for a second time that day. A low meow sounded that snapped her pout of her stupor. She was met by a pair of familiar cerulean eyes.

‘Morgana? What are you doing out here boy, are you lost? Midori said softly, kneeling down to pet at the cat, which leaned into the touch with a loud purr. A giggle bubbled out of Midori as she felt her mood improve instantly. ‘Come here, I’ll bring you back to Uncle Sojiro’s’

She picked up the cat gently and tucked him into her arm, affectionately rubbing his tiny wet nose against hers.

_Women of my life…_

_Hit_

_Beginning Navigation_

 

Midori suddenly started to feel dizzy, staggering on her feet as a feeling of vertigo overtook her. She held Morgana close to her as she tried to get her bearings back.  Perhaps she had stayed in the sun too long today or the heat was finally getting to her. She slowly opened her eyes as Morgana started to wiggle in her grasp. When she finally fully opened her eyes she couldn’t help but stare.

‘What-what the fuck?!’ she swore as the scenery seemed to have changed around her. Gone were the over bearing heat of the sun and the pristine steps of the studios. An icy hallway now stood in front of her with tall intimidating arches. A gust of frozen wind shook her to her very bones as she hugged herself in effort to keep warm as her teeth started to chatter together.

‘W-where’ she tried to say, trying to stop the violent shivers that wracked her body.

‘Seems like you too have access to the Metaverse’ A small voice supplied, Midori looked around frantically to find the source of the voice. ‘Down here’

She looked down and saw the same pair of blue eyes as Morgana but he was now, bigger? Stood on his hind paws and had…a sword!

‘Morgana?’ She tested, unsure, the situation getting stranger by the minute.

‘Shhh, you can’t call me that in here’ Morgana whispered, looking around furtively’ just call me Mona’

Midori found herself nodding dumbly, at loss for words about the whole situation. She finally stopped shivering for a second and gulped.

‘Where are we, why aren’t we at the Studios anymore?’ She really hoped the now anthropomorphic cat had answer for her.

‘We are in the Metaverse, in that person Palace’ Morgana, no Mona, provided. Sensing her confusion he proceeded to explain the whole concept to her. They started their trek through the long, winding hallways, snow and ice crunching under their feet. That person’s Palace? Sebastien’s Palace more precisely. Perhaps that explained how he and his students seemed stressed and out of sort. The event of the 10th anniversary probably wasn’t helping.

‘Hey you! You have no right to be here!’ A distorted type of voice spoke up behind them. They both turned abruptly to see three nutcrackers soldiers brandishing weapons. Midori squeaked and took a step back.

‘Come on hurry up!’ Mona stressed as he tugged on the strap of her wedges. They both took off running, narrowly slipping every time they took a sharp turn. They ran until they couldn’t heart the loud pounding of the soldier’s footsteps. They hid behind a large ice vase for good measure. Mona peeked out cautiously, his little tail wagging in apprehension.

‘The security seems very high for some reason’ Mona whispered pensively, rubbing his chin with a paw. He was about to walk off when Midori was distracted by a flock of little ducklings waddling by.

‘Little ducklings?’ She tilted her head in confusion, following them for a moment before getting distracted by a stage where ice figurines danced ballet gracefully. Mona let out a huff at the girl’s lack of attention before moving up to stand by her side as they watched the ice figurines perform.

‘Long ago, a woman gave birth to a precious little boy’ someone narrated out of nowhere, making the both of them look around cautiously. ‘She cherished him with all of her being and gave him the name Sebastien’

The ice figure on the stage held up what seemed to be a baby and cradled it close to its chest sweetly while she did a twirl.

‘The woman had a passion with ballet and decided to pass it down to her son’ A smaller ice figure came to dance along with the bigger one, the both of them doing a plier and a leap. ‘ The woman finally fell in love again and met the love of her life’ A more masculine looking ice figure leapt onto the stage to join the other two, all three of them dancing in sync.

‘The woman was once again with child and gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, who they named, Adeline’ All three ice figures gathered together to see the little bundle. The lights on the stage dimmed a little bit, mainly focusing on the ‘woman’ and the baby in its arms’ Alas… little Adeline was born with leukemia, and spent most of her childhood struggling with the illness, but she still found the energy to follow in her mother’s and brother’s footsteps.’ Another little figure joined the three figures on the stage. The feminine looking little ice figure seemed to trip more and lose her balance. Midori felt tears pool in her eyes. Oh no…

The lights became bright again and the second little figure became steadier on its feet and able to be in sync with the other three. ‘But luck seemed to be in her favor when she entered remission and her body got more energy and little Adeline was able to live fully…’

The lights dimmed again and Midori clutched the hem of her shorts as she feared the worse.

‘Until she didn’t… little Adeline finally succumbed to the illness at the age of 11 …leaving her mother, father and brother behind’ the little female figurine dissolve right before their eyes. All three taller figures stopped dancing as the woman collapse to her knees.

‘They all tried to live without little Adeline but the woman couldn’t handle it…’ The two male figures started dancing again while the woman stayed on the ground and ever so slowly started to dissolve.

‘The woman couldn’t bear the pain of the loss of her child, so she took her own life…’ The woman figure slowly melted away. One of the male figures leapt away and the other stood there, all by himself on the stage and the curtains were drawn.

Midori shook as silent sob wracked her body, her arms hugging her body. The cold air froze her tears as they slipped down her cheeks. She couldn’t fathom the pain that Sebastien was in. By the looks of it he had to grieve all by himself since the step-father seemed to have slipped out of the picture after his mother’s death. Midori felt a soft touch on her leg looked down at Mona.

‘We’ll help him, don’t worry' He reassured softly, giving her knee a comforting pat. Midori sniffled, her sinuses feeling stuffy as she wiped away the tears with the back of her hands.

‘We should move along in case the guard’s finds us’ Mona said and they started exploring the palace again. They found what Mona called safe rooms and some treasures too but they couldn’t open the chests since they didn’t have the proper material to lock pick the lock. Mona seemed a bit down-hearted at that but otherwise; he patiently explained everything she wanted to know. They finally came across a large circular room that had a large frozen lake in the middle. It had large, arched windows that gave view to the snow storm outside. At the very end there was a throne, which was occupied by…Sebastien? He sat idly in the large chair, two beautiful swans resting on the arms of the throne.

‘You over there! What are you doing here!?’ The raven’s voice boomed all through the courtroom, his voice somehow distorted.

‘Busted’ Mona swore under his breath before turning to leave but found out they had been surrounded. Midori backed up as the nutcracker soldiers brandished their weapons at them.

‘Emmenez-les moi’ Sébastien demanded harshly. Mona and Midori were forced to go across the courtroom and forced to kneel in front of Sebastien. The raven picked up one of the swans, who had small pink crystal heart around its neck and tucked it on his forearm like someone would do to a dog or a cat. He petted its feather contemptibly as he looked down at them, his yellow eyes glowing ominously. He wore a dark blue sparkly leotard that had same colored tule fixed to his elbows and shoulders. His eyes were framed by dark plus colored make up that remind her of a mask of some sort.

‘It’s not the person that you think, this is his shadow’ Mona supplied and hissed when one of the soldiers poked him with its weapon.

‘Well well well, what do we have here, little trespassers huh? He smirked, showing way too many teeth. ‘Now we all know what happens to those here don’t we?’ The shadows started whooping and howling as if they were excited. Midori ducked her head in fear and let out a cry when they grabbed her arms harshly. Mona let out a loud hiss when he was picked up.

‘They get _iced’_ Sebastien’s shadow laughed, while stroking his swan, which made up quite the odd picture.

On the side one of the shadows pulled a lever which opened a trap door right in the middle which revealed churning icy water. Midori let out a yelp as she struggled into the shadows arms, trying to kick them. She dug her heels in,trying to fight against the nutcrackers. They only tightened their grip on her and lifted her off the ground.

‘Enough with your bullshit already! Zorro!’ Mona cried out, blue flames engulfing him and stunning the surrounding shadows. Midori could only watch in awe as a tall, burly man? Manifested himself seemingly out of nowhere. Sadly, more and more soldiers appeared to flank the other ones, quickly overpowering Mona.  

Midori struggled against the firm grasp of the soldiers, looking on helplessly as Morgana struggled against his opponents, taking hits after hits. Midori heard Sebastien laugh loudly, his laughter cold and cruel as he grinned widely, the sight atrocious on his pretty face.

'That'll teach you to be where you shouldn't be petite insolente' The man hissed as he watched with glee clear in his amber eyes. 

‘No! Please! , take me instead, leave him alone!’ Midori begged as tears prickled her eyes.

‘ _About time, mon petit chaton’_ A voice echoed in her head as pain suddenly lanced through her whole skull, making her cry out in pain and double over, the soldiers letting go on her arms in surprise.

_‘Will you let the world trampled on your spirit again? Will you watch on as people suffer, like you suffered?_

‘No’ Midori whispered, trying to form words as the pain in her head didn’t let up. She felt tears stream down her face and drool drip from the corners of her mouth.

 _‘Didn’t quite catch that my darling’_ the voice inquired.

‘No!’ Midori shouted as she cupped her head in her hands, trying to fend away the atrocious headache she was experiencing. She rolled on the ground, her body writhing as she screamed.

A soft, melodious laugh rang out.

A large gust of wind sent the nutcrackers skidding back, most of them exclaiming their confusion and surprise

Midori panted from her spot on the ground, her whole body aching, something suddenly pressing down on her face. She reached up to feel it and felt the smooth surface of…a mask? The mask felt…right at home on her face somehow but what was it doing there? She reached to take it off and found that she couldn’t, as if it had been super glued on.

 

_‘Splendid! just what I wanted to hear. We will make a wonderful team you and me.  I am thou, thou art I.You shall never be the little defenseless sheep again. Let the lioness within thyself awaken and let them hear thy roar! Shape and shift this wretched world into a better place! Leave your past life behind! Like a phoenix, rise from thy ashes and burn like an eternal flame!’_

 

Her breath was starting to come in quick succession as she struggled to take it off. She gripped both ends and pulled and cried out as it tore itself off her face. She felt warm blood drip down her face in thick rivulets. She clutched her face in pain, curling up in miserable ball. Then, the blood seemed to slowly seep back into her skin and suddenly, no more pain but intense clarity as blue flames engulfed her. She was ready to shout in pain again but the flames that engulfed her were comforting, like a mothers hug. They licked at her skin but didn’t leave any burns or pain behind, only warmth. She held one hand in front of herself and saw her clothes slowly start to shift as the fire trailed down her arms, her chest and her legs. The rattling of chains made itself heard through the roar of the fire.

 

A beautiful lady with long flowing blond hair, wearing a gold fringed outfit along with a large fringed hat that hid most of her face, only wide golden eyes visible. A large pair of wings quickly expanded from her back as she brandished a large scepter that had a serrated tip.

Midori stood up shakily and met the angel’s eyes. Eyes the color of luminescent ambers stared back at her and offered a saucy wink. Midori grinned and slowly turned back towards the shadows, who had all adopted a defensive pose, leaving Mona free for the taking.

‘I won’t be anybody’s doormat anymore, I’ll show the world what I’m made of’ Midori shouted confidently. ’With your aid, Gabrielle!’ Midori shouted as she pointed at the Shadows. As if on cue, the angel at her back flapped her wings, sending all the shadows flying. Midori silently cheered and got her ass in gear to retrieve Mona before they recovered. Midori ran over to Mona, heels clacking and sloshing loudly along the Palaces floor. She scooped him up and ran for the exit, bashing her brain trying to remember which way to go. She finally made it out and collapsed at the entrance of the palace, the former slowly fading. She felt the same vertigo feeling she experienced when they first got into the Palace.

_You have returned to the real world_

_Welcome Back_

 

She heard something chime as she still held Morgana close to her chest. She blinked her eyes open and saw that they were back near the fountain, the sun shining down upon her once more.

‘Morgana, are you ok?’ She asked softly, petting the cat’s ears. He shook his head before wiggling out of her arms. He shook himself briefly.

‘That was quite impressive!’ Eh? EH?!

‘How can I hear you talk now?’ Midori said in disbelief, blinking down at the feline.

‘Because you went into the Metaverse’ He said while licking at one of his paws. ‘That was certainly a close one, good thing you found your Persona, which is the manifestation of a person’s rebellious soul locked deep within a person’s heart.’ He supplied, very well knowing what she was going to ask.

‘Now that we know you have a Persona, you will be able to join our group’

‘What group? Midori tilted her head curiously and the cat sat down, wrapping his tail around his feet.

‘ The Phantom Thieves, we’ve been doing Palace for a while now, you’ll need help going through this Palace, it was a weak one but he’s very cautious for some reason so we can’t complete this just you and me, no offense but you don’t have the stats for it yet’ The cat stood up’ mind telling me the time?’

Midori nodded dumbly as she assimilated all the information that Morgana gave her. She took her phone out of her purse, which she was grateful that she didn’t lose it in the Palace because going back for it would’ve of been a pain. She took a peek at the hour and choked on her saliva in shock. They spent two hours in there!

‘Its noon’ she informed the feline, shaking her head. She quickly went to consult the texts her mom sent her.

 

Mommy dearest: / _would you be dear and get mommy one of these bubbles teas, you know which place ;) /_

_/Why are you taking this long? Did you hit it off with the handsome owner of the Studio ;)/_

_/Be back soon mommy misses you <3/_

 

‘Alright, the others are still at school, so it’ll have to wait till after school, come and meet us towards 5 at Leblanc, ok?’ Midori had the feeling that she had to agree and nodded. ‘Alright see ya later!’ The cat chirped before walking off.

 

_I am thou, thou art I_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow…_

_It shall become one of the beacons that will guide you out the darkness._

_With the birth of the Magician persona, I have obtained the winds_ _of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

_Magician Rank 1_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I sincerely cried during the ballet scene :,(  
> and had to edit this since i for g ot put the French translation on here ^^' French is my first language see so its just natural to me XD  
> Petits Pieds= small feet ( yeah sounds less charming in english lol )  
> Cafe mon coeur= Cafe My heart  
> Mademoiselle= Miss  
> Piece de résistance= piece of resistance  
> Venez avec moi ma demoiselle= come with me Miss  
> Forêt Noire: Black Forest ( which is chocolate cake with cherries for those who dont know :))  
> Parfait= Perfect  
> Emmenez-les moi= Bring them to me  
> Petite insolente= little insolent  
>  I also made some modifications to the chapter as well ^^'


	4. Meeting

Midori found herself in the graveyard again. But this time she wasn’t as scared or hesitant anymore. She watched calmly as Alucard came into view with his lantern.

‘No running off this time? ‘He asked in his smooth baritone voice, a small smile on his lips. Aside from the unnerving luminescent eyes, Alucard was quite handsome. He tilted his head to the side, motioning her to follow before starting his trek down the path to her crypt. Midori quickly followed, not wanting to be left alone in the dark cemetery. She doubted anything was lurking around but she wasn’t about to take her chances. Alucard opened the wrought iron door with a loud creak that resonated through the silent space. He Midori go in first before closing the door behind him. Alucard held the lantern above her head to light her steps, which was quite easy since he was a great deal taller than her. She reached the bottom and found Igor at the very same place he as the last time she saw him. She took a quick glance around the room wearily and noted that one of the candelabrums on the wall was now lit alongside the one of Igor’s desk.

‘AH I see you’ve made some comrades already. The rehabilitation is going smoothly. These connections will serve you well in the future’ the man said in his gravelly voice. Midori approached his desk while Alucard went to stand behind him with his lantern.

‘What do you mean?’ Midori tilted her head curiously, genuinely curious. Igor stapled his fingers in front of himself, his grin ever present on his face. Midori wondered idly what would happen if the man stopped smiling…

‘Each connection will have their perks and will bring something special to you with each steps’ the man explained, still sounding somehow cryptic but Midori got the gist of it. A loud unsettling sound that sounded like a screaming demon startled Midori.

‘Seems like our time is up, until next time…’

Midori jerked awake when she heard her alarm sound from her phone. She had set an alarm a bit before she had to meet the group at Leblanc. She sat up and groggily rubbed her eyes, letting out a loud yawn. When she arrived home bearing bubble tea for her mom, she had decided to take a nap, feeling strangely exhausted after her adventure in the Metaverse. There was a knock on at her door as she was gathering her things to head out.

‘Sweetheart, are you awake?’ her mother asked as she opened the door and peeked her head in. Her mother was all dolled up in a pretty dress and had pinned her hair up.

‘Wow mom, you dressed up nice’ Midori said smiling as she hung her purse on her shoulder. Her mom smiled prettily and did a little twirl.

‘Yes your father and I are going on a date tonight’ She beamed, sounding like a teenager in love. Midori smiled at the display, glad that her ‘parents’ had such a loving relationship. Not that she was just noticing it now. She saw plenty of instances where they showed their love for each other. Sometimes she even felt embarrassed about it.

‘I’ll be going out for a bit too, if that’s ok’ She sure hoped it was ok…How could she alert Morgana of her not going…

‘Sure honey, going out on a date? Hmm hm, no, don’t tell me, you hit it off with the handsome young man from the ballet school?’ Her mother gushed, stars in her eyes as she clasped her hands together in front of her.

‘No mom, stop, I’m just meeting up with some people at Leblanc’ she pouted, trying to evade her mother’s affection. She hurried into the kitchen with her mother following behind her. Midori spotted her dad in the kitchen.

‘Dad, please help me’ she pleaded as she hid behind him, peeking around his shoulder.

‘Hime leave the poor girl alone’ her dad chuckled deeply from within his chest and ruffled Midori’s hair. ‘Now hurry my love, we’ll be late to our reservation.’

Her mother beamed and grasped her father’s arm as he extended it out to her like a gentleman and a M’lady. Her mother giggled and leaned her head against his arm.

‘We won’t be out too late, please come back at a reasonable time’ the last part really did seem like a genuine plea. She could see the concern on both of her ‘parents’ faces.

‘No later than 11’ she promised with a smile and continued jokingly’ so you should you’ she wagged her finger at them playfully.

‘You are so on daughter of mine’ her mother smirked suddenly, her eyes narrowed. ‘Last one here has to do breakfast tomorrow!’

Her dad let out a small yelp as he was dragged out the door by her mother.’ See you sweetie, there’s some left over pastries in the fridge if you want em, love you!’ her mother called. Midori chuckled before shaking her head. She went to peruse the pastries in the fridge and debated if she should bring them along for the ‘meeting’. She gnawed on her lip, suddenly feeling very nervous. What if…they didn’t like her…what if they didn’t want her to be part of their team, what if they welcomed her then throw her away because they found her annoying…. _like many others did when she showed her true personality…_

She had to stop herself before she spiralled down into an anxiety attack. She could feel it buzzing at the base of her skull, lurking deep within the recesses of her mind, waiting for her to be vulnerable to strike. She closed her eyes and took deep breath to recenter herself. She gave a small sigh as she finally opened her eyes. The blond took the pastries that were kept in a plastic take-out container. There were at least 8-10 pastries in there, she hoped it would be enough… She took a reusable bag that was in one of the kitchen drawers and carefully put the container inside. She closed the fridge and went to put on her shoes. She took a deep breath and opened the door. It was now pouring rain outside, stark contrast to the nice sunshine they had this morning. She grabbed a cute pink umbrella from the umbrella holder in the entrance before slipping out the door. She tucked both back full of goods and umbrella into the crook of her elbow and locked the door. She opened the umbrella and stepped out into the rain. She quickly glanced at her phone to look at the time, not wanting to be late.

4:45… It wouldn’t take that long to get to Leblanc right? She quickened her pace anyway. She always hated it when she was late.

 

She reached Leblanc with 5 minutes to spare. Her feet and ankles were all wet but she made it just in time. She shook out her umbrella once she as safely covered by Leblanc’s awning. She decided to leave it outside so she wouldn’t get water everywhere. She closed it and left it by the door. She walked in and sighed in relief as the warmth of the café enveloped her.

‘Hey kid, what are you doing out there in this weather?’ Sojiro commented, eyeing her up and down.

‘I came to meet up with Morg-Akira’ she quickly covered up, not wanting to sound stupid if she said she came to meet up with a cat. Her godfather raised an eyebrow at her curiously.

‘How long have you and the kid been talkin?’ He asked curiously as he wiped down the counter. Midori gulped as she rummaged through her brain for an excuse.

‘We occasionally run into each other when I go jogging’ she blurted out in one single breath. Sojiro gave her a dubious look but didn’t comment on it. ‘He’s upstairs with his friends’

Midori smiled and nodded before digging into her bag.

‘I-I brought some pastries from the shop, would you like one uncle Sojiro?’ She opened and held out the container to him. He hummed as his eyes scanned the goods.

‘Is that your mother’s famous dragon fruit mousse cake?’ Sojiro said, eyes set on a pale pink mousse cake decorated with raspberries and little pink dragon fruit balls. Midori nodded as she beamed.

‘I’m actually the one that made it’ she said proudly, puffing her chest a little. Sojiro carefully took it out of the container and cradled it into his hand before heading behind the counter to fetch a spoon. He took a spoonful of the cake and put it in his mouth and she watched as his face spread into a rare wide smile.

‘You nailed it kid, man it’s been too long since I’ve had this cake’

Midori felt pride bloom inside her chest at his words. It wasn’t an easy feat to copy her mom’s recipe, especially when the woman had been doing this for far longer than she did. She closed the container with a wide smile.

‘Oh you’re here’ A voice startled Midori and she looked down to meet Morgana’s eyes.

‘Hello Morgana’ She greeted with a smile, trying to act casual. She assumed it was safe to speak with the cat when she noticed that Sojiro seemed entranced by his piece of cake. A rare sight indeed.

‘They are waiting for you upstairs’ The cat said as he went for the stairs at the end of the café. He waited for her on the first step before heading up when she joined him.

‘Oh is that food?’ The cat eyed the container of good hungrily, licking his lips.

‘Uh yeah, I thought I could bring a little something while we…talk’ she trailed off when she made it atop of the stairs and 6 pairs of eyes were instantly on her. They were scattered all around the, room?* She felt her stomach drop as she stood frozen on the last step. Her anxiety came back with vengeance, clawing at her heart viciously.

There were two blonds, a guy and a girl. There a short brown haired girl with crimson eyes, a boy with blue hair and slate grey eyes. A girl with long red hair and brown eyes who she recognized as Futaba And of course there was Akira, who gave her a reassuring smile and a nod. Midori fervently wished that the smile would put her at ease but unfortunately, it didn’t. Morgana hoped onto the table that everyone was gathered at.

‘h-hello’ she said in a small voice, wanting to curl in on herself as the others continued to stare at her. She felt the buzz of anxiety at the base of her skull once more, whispering mean things to her.

‘Is that cake!?’ The blonde girl exclaimed, eyeing the treats in her hands hungrily. Midori snapped out of it and nodded, gently settling down the container on the available space on the table. She opened it and gave a small smile as everyone seemed to be interested.

‘Yes, I thought I should bring a little something to this uh meeting, to show…my good intentions’ She offered a small smile, her heart beating quickly against her ribcage. ‘Pick anything you want, these are extras from my mom’s pastry shop’. Midori suddenly swore to herself when she noticed she hadn’t brought any utensils to eat the cake with.

‘I forgot to bring the utensils’ she murmured sheepishly, fingers coming to grasp the strap of her purse. Akira stood up from his seat on his bed on the far wall.

‘I’ll go get some downstairs, you can sit anywhere you want, make yourself comfortable’ He smiled reassuringly before heading downstairs. Midori felt a strange lump in her throat when her eyes swept the room, trying to decide where to sit.

‘Don’t be shy, it’s ok’ the blonde girl piped up, surely noting her hesitation. ‘We don’t bite’ she reassured then patted the available seat beside her ‘come sit here’.

The girl’s reassuring smile felt like a soothing balm to her racing heart. Midori walked over to the small couch and sat down between the two blondes, tucking her purse between her feet.

‘I’m Ann Takamaki’ the blonde girl introduced offering a disarming smile and Midori took a moment to admire how pretty the girl was.

‘I’m Ryuji Sakamoto’ the other blond said with a grin, no ill intent or malice on his face. Midori idly wondered why she even looked for such a thing on the boy’s visage.

The boy with blue hair stood up to bow and introduce himself’ I’m Yusuke Kitagawa, a pleasure to meet you’

‘As you already probably know, I’m Futaba Sakura’ Futaba introduced kind of bashfully and Midori actually _felt that_ , cause, god damn, that as a lot of new people for her to meet.

‘And I’m Makoto Nijima’ the brown haired girl introduced with a dry tone that made Midori’s hackles rise in alarm. She kept a frown from showing on her face as the girl stared her down. Midori felt a particular tension coming from her and she didn’t like because…what the hell did she do? Or perhaps the old Midori had done the girl wrong and she had a grudge against her? Then again, if a memory had to hit her, it would’ve done so the minute she looked at the girl in the face like it did most of the times. Midori gulped and licked her dry lips.

‘I’m Midori, Midori Madoka’ she finally introduced, offering a smile.

Akira suddenly appeared from the stairs, holding a tray with a handful of spoons and a coffee pot with mugs. Ann cheered, happy that she finally got to taste whatever Midori had to offer. Everyone took something and seemed to be enjoying them if the pleased sounds that they made. The only person that didn’t take anything was the brown haired girl, who seemed to watch her like a hawk. She sat there awkwardly, biting her lip, trying to stifle her fight or flight instincts.

‘Coffee?’ Akira’s soothing voice snapped her out of her panicking. She blinked up at the raven and nodded, accepting the cup from his hand, their fingers temporarily brushing. Midori fought a blush as she thanked him softly. They all waited till everyone was done eating before addressing the important issue at hand.

‘Alright Midori, why don’t you fill us in about the Palace me and you went in earlier today’ Morgana said as he washed his face, trying to get the bits of cream that was left on his whiskers from the cake he ate.  Midori froze her body seizing up as everyone’s gaze turned to her. She felt as if the cat was putting her on the spot on purpose, but she knew that he wanted her to talk and explain what she saw and perhaps, try to integrate her into the group gradually. Midori felt as if she was in high school all over again, standing in front of the class…shaking like a leaf.

‘The person’s Palace belongs to the ballet teacher from Petits Pieds Ballet studio’ Midori began as she stood.

‘That’s quite a renowned studio….it’s been around for years, aren’t they celebrating their 10th anniversary next week?’ Yusuke said pensively.

Midori nodded in approval’ Yeah, I ended up going there since they asked my mother to do the catering for their sweet table for the event, and that’s how I found out about the Palace’ Midori crossed her arms over her chest and cupped her elbow with her hand.

‘The Palace hasn’t been there for long but the security is ridiculously high in there, probably because he’s highly stressed because of the event’ Morgana piped up’ and unfortunately, we didn’t get any maps and were unable to open any chest that we found since we didn’t have Joker’s tools’

‘Did you guys observe anything in there that could tell us why he would have a Palace?’ Akira questioned, his smooth tone now all business likes, a somehow serious look in his eyes.  Morgana looked at Midori, once again forcing her to talk.

‘ I…I think, it’s because of the death of his mother and sister…’ Midori trailed off, remembering the sad spectacle she had witnessed in the Palace with the ice sculptures’ He’s probably drowning in his grief and with the event coming up, a lot of pressure must be on his shoulders to keep up the imagine his mother made of the studio…’

‘What…what happened to them’ Ann said softly, a sad look in her eyes.

‘his sister was born with leukemia, she fought it most of her childhood, she went into remission at one point but she finally died at 11’ Midori had to hold back the tears as she retold the man’s story’ As for his mother…she was so saddened by the death of her little girl that she committed suicide not long after his sister died…’ Midori swallowed around the lump in throat as a sob threatened to come out. No she couldn’t cry in front of them, she had already cried once today…

‘Man… that’s horrible…’ Ryuji whispered, slumped over in his seat, leaning his elbows on his knees.

‘How did you get all these info’s?’ Makoto suddenly questioned, her sad look replaced with a serious one. Midori bristled once more at her tone.

‘There, there was ice figures in his castle that did a dance that narrated his whole life’ Midori supplied.

‘Does he act badly with his students?’ Akira asked and then shared a look with Ann and Ryuji, a brief shadow fleeting over their faces.

‘ I only know two of them, one of them insists that he’s only stressed while the other said he acts like a bastard…’

‘Does he…’ Ann trailed off, looking to the side.

‘No, not from what we’ve seen’ Morgana reassured Ann, which had Midori wondering what hidden message they were sharing.

‘ I do think he see some of them as…ugly ducklings while two of them were swans’ Midori said, recalling how he had held one of the swans closely.

‘Swans…ducklings? How does that have to do with anything’ Ryuji said in confusion, scratching his scalp.

‘The swans are obviously the star pupils while the ugly ducklings are I could say the less talented ones’ Yusuke murmured softly, cupping his chin.

‘He did mention that since they were a reputed ballet studio that they valued talent above all, he even boasted about it…’ Midori said as she recalled her conversation with Sebastien.

‘Seems like we will need to dig a little bit in the Palace but we’ll be short on time since I’m assuming our deadline is next week on the day of the anniversary’ Akira spoke up and everyone nodded. His grey eyes were suddenly on her.

‘Seems like we have ourselves a new member’ He offered a dashing smile to her that made her heart melt. She offered a bashful smile as everyone cheered. ‘Can’t wait to see what you are made of in there ummm…’

‘Right you’ll need a code name too Midori’ Morgana spoke up and tilted his head. ‘You were wearing all white with that golden mask’

‘Oh, how about Angel!’ Ann said excitedly with a smile. Midori held back the cringe at the nickname, it sounded so…cliché.

‘That’s lame’ Ryuji said then grunted in pain when Ann punched him in the arm with a pout. Everyone tried pitching in names and Midori felt a bit overwhelmed, not knowing which to choose.

‘How about Swan’ Akira said aloud. Midori tilted her head, mulling it over in her head. She liked the sound of it.

‘Let’s go with Swan’ she agreed with a nod and a smile. The room broke out in cheers.

 

After discussing a bit more about the Palace and exchanging ID numbers, everyone went home, only leaving her, Akira and Morgana. Midori took a look at her phone. Oh it was already this late? Time sure had flown by.

‘Oh man, I should head home’ Midori said, starting to gather her things and shoved them into her purse. She took a peek outside and noted dully that it was still raining.

‘I’ll walk you home’ Akira offered taking his jacket and slipped it on.

‘ I don’t know… I wouldn’t want you to get sick because of me and you would have to come back by yourself…’ She frowned, slipping the strap of her purse onto her shoulder. Akira’s merely waved it off and gently coaxed her downstairs by putting a hand on her lower back. An involuntary shiver aced down her spine as she tried to conceal her blush.

‘You guys go ahead, I’m going to stay here’ morgana said sleepily as he yawned widely and settled down in Akira bed.

The lights were off downstairs when they made their way down the stairs, Uncle Sojiro having already left along with Futaba. Midori concentrated to not fall over in the stairs and make a fool of herself in front of the handsome boy… damn it…They made it safely down and walked to the door.

‘Did you have an umbrella?’ Akira asked, taking one from the umbrella holder near the door.

‘Yeah I left it outside, I hope it still there’ she grinned sheepishly. She opened the door and peeked outside and luckily for her the umbrella was still there. She took it into her hands and stood back as she watched Akira closed and lock the door. She carefully opened the umbrella and waited for the teen.

‘Why don’t we share? It’ll be easier that way, here I’ll hold it’ How come his sultry words had this effect on her. She couldn’t pinpoint why. She gave him the umbrella trying to advert her eyes so he couldn’t see the effect he had one her. But how he knew and actually found pleasure in the little reactions you were having.

 

The walk was quiet, but somehow, it wasn’t an awkward silence. It was comfortable; the only sound between them was the pitter patter of their feet against the wet ground. It didn’t take long before they arrived in front of the Pastry shop.

‘Here we are’ she said awkwardly, rocking back on her heels with a small smile. She took the umbrella from Akira and waited till He opened his to close hers. ‘Thank you for walking me home, I really appreciate it’ she found herself gently touching his arm. His eyes briefly looked at her hand and he offered another one of his charming smile.

‘It’s really no problem’ He reassured and caught her hand as she went to pull it away. He kissed the back of it gently and grinned ’Until next time, Mademoiselle’ He bowed dramatically and Midori found herself laughing a little bit as she tried to fight her blush. She watched as he walked away until she couldn’t see him anymore.

 

_I am thou, thou art I…_

_Thou hast acquired a new vow. It shall be one of the beacons that will guide you out of the darkness. With the birth of the Fool Arcana, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power._

_Fool Rank 1_

Midori tossed and turned as she tried to find sleep but couldn’t for the third night in a row this week… She kept thinking about the meeting and the Palace. If she closed her eyes, she would have vivid images of it… wait.. Morgana did say that didn’t find a map but what if.

She pushed the comforter off and stood up from her bed. She looked turned the lights on and looked for some paper and a pencil. She doesn’t know how long she stayed sitting down on the floor of her room, drawing a map on multiple pieces of paper that she all aligned and pieced together with tape to make a makeshift map. She blinked slowly as she snapped out of her creative headspace. She blinked a few more times to clear her head. She looked over her work and gave a satisfied smile. She stood up over her work, her spine protesting at the amount of time she stayed hunched over her project. She grimaced and rubbed her back idly before reaching for her phone to snap a picture of her work. She opened the chat app and went to send it but hesitated. What if they laughed? What if they mocked her… She shook her head and just sends the picture anyway.

Suddenly feeling tired, Midori closed the lights and went to snuggle into her bed. She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm sorry it started so bad and sad :( i was almost crying myself while i wrote this as I listened to sad music to immerse myself better in the moment Dx


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